' The Greatest Showman' Upgraded - Water for Elephants Review by Bella Tucci

You’ve heard the saying “run away and join the circus,” but what happens when you actually do? Water for Elephants, playing at the Orpheum Theater now until Mar. 8, jumps between past and present to tell an exciting and touching story about the circus life. When Jacob Jankowski (Zachary Keller) loses everything, his solution is to run. By accident, he gets on a train carrying an entire traveling circus, and the people he meets, the animals he sees, and the things he learns change him forever. 

When you think of the ambiance of a “classic” circus, you can almost see the striped tents and smell the peanuts and cotton candy. This show, directed by Jessica Stone, uses its production elements to fully immerse you in the world of an early 20th century circus and creates that homey ambiance. The lighting by Bradley King makes use of very “traditional” techniques, especially during the circus’s performances, by using many circular spotlights, brightly flashing light bulbs, etc., to add to that classic feeling. Serving the same purposes, the sound by Walter Trarbach uses comedic effects, many of which are similar to the well-known “banana slip,” to create a cartoonish sound. Together, these things reinforce that classically extravagant and full-of-life circus feeling that always leaves you on the edge of your seat.

The music, written by PigPen Theater Co., is not only masterfully crafted but also highlights the common issues of classism. The circus performers, or the “Kinkers,” can always be found singing the blues and anything with a folksy tone. However, the more “polished” people of society, such as August (Connor Sullivan) or Marlena (principally played by Helen Krushinski, but played beautifully by swing ZaKeyia Lacey during this performance), are given more pop-like songs that we often expect to hear in musical theater. August, being the manipulative ring leader that he is, essentially controls the Kinkers, creating two distinct worlds that Jacob finds himself caught between. Keller, with his beautiful voice, portrays this confusion & hesitance as he sings a mixture of genres, indicating his uncertainty about where he belongs, leaving you to reconsider what really defines a person.

This show would not be what it is without its astounding puppetry, designed by Rey Wetmore, JR Goodman, and Camille LaBarre, and acrobatics/circus design by Shana Carroll and Antoine Boissereau. People go to circuses to see the impossible, and this production certainly lived up to that standard. Any time an animal is shown onstage, it’s represented by humans and a puppet. For example, Silver Star, the horse, is represented simultaneously by a puppet and aerial silk acrobatics, giving something completely devoid of life a beautiful story that’s wondrous to behold. The imaginative animals and creatures from the original novel by Sara Gruen are brought to life in unique ways that make this show stand out from all other productions using puppetry.

All in all, Water for Elephants is so much more than just a silly circus. It’s a reminder that, no matter what struggles we face or how lost we feel, we should always Choose the Ride, even if we can’t all run away to join the circus.